Return To Nature Funeral Home Owners Plead Guilty In Federal Court

DENVER - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announces that Jon Hallford, 44, and Carie Hallford, 47, pleaded guilty today to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to the plea agreements for each, the Hallfords were the co-owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, which operated both in the Colorado Springs area and in Penrose, Colorado. In October 2023, residents in the Penrose area reported a foul odor emanating from the Return to Nature facility. After obtaining a search warrant, FBI, CBI, and local law enforcement investigators found the remains of approximately 190 deceased persons inside the building in various states of decomposition. Some of the remains discovered had dates of death as far back as 2019. As part of their fraud scheme, the Hallfords misled customers of the funeral home into believing that the remains of their loved ones would be buried or cremated per their wishes and the terms of the parties' contracts.

As part of their plea agreements, the Hallfords also admitted that they conspired together to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration of over $800,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, which they obtained under the government's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

Sentencing will be held at a later date. Each defendant faces up to twenty years in federal prison.

United States District Court Judge Nina Y. Wang presided over the hearing. The FBI Denver Field Office and The United States Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Several other state and local law enforcement agencies including the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado Springs Police Department, the El Paso County Coroner's Office, the Fremont County Sheriff's Office, and the Fremont County Coroner's Office have made significant contributions to this case. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Tim Neff and Craig Fansler.